From Baghdad to Bowdoin: security officer Shaun Hogan serves and protects

Behind the Name tag: Mail clerk Voner helps students get mail signed, sealed, delivered

While many students may not recognize her by name, they likely know Alice Voner as the mail clerk in the Smith Union Mail Center with long, flowing hair.
Voner is currently in her third year working in the Mail Center, and she said she is fond of her position because of its frequent interaction with students.
“My favorite part of the job is the students,” she said. “Some of them need to be mothered; some still need to be gently taught how to mail a letter. I get to still be a mom, basically.”

Behind the Name tag: Catalogs and chords: library assistant Cook rocks ’n rolls

Students who frequent Hatch Science Library, whether they’re staffing the circulation desk or powering through a lab report, are probably familiar with Science Library Assistant Jeff Cook.
Now in his eighth year working at Bowdoin, Cook oversees many of the day-to-day operations of the library and is responsible for hiring, training and scheduling a staff of 20 to 25 students every semester.
Outside the library, Cook devotes a great deal of time to music. He plays drums and guitar for various bands in the area and has a small recording studio at his house that he claims to utilize often.

Behind the Name tag

From Baghdad to Bowdoin: security officer Shaun Hogan serves and protects

November 8, 2013

Courtesy of Shaun Hogan

HOGAN AFTER HOURS: Security officer Shaun Hogan worked as a canine handler when on active duty for the U.S. Navy.

Bowdoin College Security, a team of over 20, is a diverse group, that includes Shaun Hogan, a self-proclaimed Legomaniac who is proficient in building his own custom computers and plays soccer and the drums.

Hogan, is now in his 13th month with the Bowdoin College Office of Safety and Security and hails from a background filled with stories.

Originally from North Haven, Conn., Hogan grew up with his younger brother Chris and two step-siblings who recently graduated from college.

“One of the reasons I think I relate to the students here at the College really well is because I have family members who are the same age,” he said.

Hogan attended Elmira College, a small liberal arts school in upstate New York, which he noted is similar to Bowdoin.

In the middle of college, he realized what career he hoped to pursue.

“It wasn’t until I got halfway through my junior year when I woke up one morning and said, ‘What am I doing? My passion and what I love to study is history. I want to be a teacher,’” Hogan said.

Although Hogan graduated from Elmira with a degree in business administration, he continued to work towards his education certification and got a master’s degree in history through the American Military University while serving in the military.

He is now certified to teach social studies in Maine for grades seven through 12.
Hogan served for five years on active duty and another five as a reservist in the U.S. Navy as a Military Police Officer, where he was a canine handler.

“At the time, I was stationed in the Middle East, and they had a lot of openings for canine handlers, so I took it. Ultimately, while I was on active duty, I got paid to play with dogs for a living, and you can’t ask for a better job,” Hogan said.

It wasn’t all light-hearted, though.

While stationed in Baghdad, Hogan was asked to assist soldiers in a mission. These soldiers had asked some street vendors to leave, as they had been engaging in bad business practices at an outdoor market.

“I pretty much cleared a near street riot with just me and a dog and a bunch of army soldiers at my back,” Hogan said.

In 2006, after returning from overseas, Hogan worked at the Brunswick Naval Air Station and fell in love with the area.

“For some time, I’ve been interested in transitioning from law enforcement to a teaching career,” Hogan said. “My dream job would be to be a high school social studies teacher at Brunswick High School or Mt. Ararat.”

“Teaching is a very family friendly job. Once I do have a family, I’d like to be firmly established as a teacher,” he added.

However, few local teaching positions have been available recently and Hogan found his job at Bowdoin.

“I thought this was a great, in-between-type of job which could combine the skills of my law enforcement career with where I’m going, being at an educational institution,” Hogan said.

Above all, Hogan finds interacting with the students is his favorite part of the job.

“I’ve had an absolutely fantastic experience with the students here. Unfortunately, I’ve had a couple of negative incidents, but...that’s going to happen when you work the night shift on weekends,” he said.

Hogan shared that he’s continually impressed by the respect and forthrightness students have when confronted by Security and the degree to which students, particularly College House leadership, strive to work with Security.

While Hogan has enjoyed his time at Bowdoin, he will be leaving the College at the end of the month and returning to Baghdad, where he will work on securing the U.S. Embassy for a defense contractor.

He will be deployed overseas on a temporary contract. However, Hogan said he is not leaving Bowdoin forever.

“[Director of Safety and Security Randy] Nichols has said that the door’s open when I get back, and I’m planning on fully embracing that opportunity,” Hogan said.

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